The Milwaukee Bucks face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night. Both franchises lost their most recent matches and need a win to get their respective seasons back on track. Only one will be victorious at the Fiserv Forum, and in our latest NBA betting picks, we tell you who.
Milwaukee has been through the mill a bit in recent weeks. Their 114-106 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night was their second successive defeat and came not long after Doc Rivers took over from Adrian Griffin, who was fired at the end of January.
The Minnesota Timberwolves season has also reached a crucial point. After topping the Western Conference for a long period, their season has hit the buffers in recent weeks, with the franchise recording a 5-5 record in their last ten.
Minnesota is still in a great position, though. They are amongst the leaders at the top of the Conference. But they need to get a run of results going again soon if their season isn’t to implode and take a turn for the worse.
Despite the recent turmoil, the Bucks are still second only to the Boston Celtics in the betting to be the Eastern Conference representative at the 2024 NBA Finals.
The Celtics lead the way at +130, with the Bucks second at +225. The best NBA betting sites seem to see the Eastern as a two-horse race, as the third favorite is the New York Knicks, who are out at +700. Also worth a mention are the Cleveland Guardians at +1000 and the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers, who are both at +1200.
Over in the West, the Nuggets and the Clippers dominate the betting. The Nuggets lead the way at +210. They have been around this price for a couple of weeks now, having been trimmed after they ended the Celtics’ unbeaten run at TD Garden. Behind the Nuggets is the LA Clippers, who are +300.
Unlike in the Western Conference, there are three franchises in the immediate mix behind the leading two. The Oklahoma Thunder is next at +650, with the Phoenix Suns at +700, and then it’s the Timberwolves at +800.
Despite leading the Conference for a substantial period of the season, the bookmakers have never really regarded Minnesota as one of the more likely sides to represent the Western Conference in the 2024 NBA Finals. So, can they prove the betting sites wrong?
The next thing to look at is betting to win the 2024 NBA Championship. For the majority of the season, the Boston Celtics have been the favorites with the best NBA finals betting sites, which is still the case.
The Celtics are +300, this despite three home-court losses in two weeks, after winning their opening 20 matches at TD Garden. Second in the betting to win the 2024 Finals are the Denver Nuggets at +450. The Nuggets are the team who snapped the Celtics’ home-court winning streak.
Highlighting how much things can change throughout an NBA season, the Milwaukee Bucks are third in the betting at +550. Even though Milwaukee is going through a rough patch, these odds say the bookmakers still recognize that they will come good again at some point this season.
Selected other teams in the betting are the LA Clippers at +575, the Thunder at +1200, the Suns at +1400, and the Timberwolves at +1600. This puts Minnesota seventh in the betting. Not bad at all for Chris Finch and his team.
For tonight’s match, the Bucks are the marginal favorites to win. Milwaukee are at -120 to beat the Timberwolves, who are +100 on the money line.
On the handicap spread, the Timberwolves are receiving just a 1-point start. To win with the start, Minnesota is -110. To win and cover the spread, the Bucks are -110.
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On the total points spread, 228.5 is the line set by the best NBA betting sites. Both over and under 228.5 is -110. Below are more options from different sportsbooks on our NBA betting table. You can read more about the bookmakers we have used on our online sportsbook reviews page.
| Bucks vs. Timberwolves |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bucks | -120 | -120 | -120 |
| Timberwolves | +100 | +100 | +100 |
| Bucks (-1) | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Timberwolves (+1) | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Over 228.5 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under 228.5 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
Overall this season, the Milwaukee Bucks are 33-18. At the Fiserv Forum, they are 21-5. In their last ten matches, they have a 5-5 record, and they are currently on a losing streak of two.
In their most recent home-court matches, the Bucks have won two and lost one. The wins were against the Cavaliers (126-116) and the Pelicans (141-117). The loss was sandwiched between the two wins and came at the hands of the Cavaliers (112-100).
The match against Minnesota tonight will be their first home fixture after a five-match road trip that saw them lose four and win one.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are 35-16 this season. They are 16-11 on the road – boasting one of the best records in the NBA. In their last ten, they are 5-5 and they are also on a losing streak of one.
In their last three road trips, Minnesota has lost to the Bulls (129-123 on Tuesday), defeated the Thunder (107-101), and lost to the Spurs (113-112).
This match sees a strong home team taking on a strong road team. The Milwaukee Bucks are hurting. And they need a win badly, so we make a win for Milwaukee, our betting pick.
Check below for our list of the top sportsbooks where you can wager online:
About the Author
Dean is primarily a fan of English football who regularly attends games, and combining his hobby with his job, he is now a full-time sports betting writer. Rather than going down the educational route into sports journalism, Dean learned his trade by writing for his English football betting website since 2009, where he now boasts nearly 15 years of experience. After writing about football daily for years, Dean has taken the skills he learned and now uses them to great effect writing for numerous affiliate sites across the internet. A general all-around sports enthusiast with a passion for English football and cricket, Dean is also well able to turn his hand to writing about golf, tennis, F1, boxing, snooker, darts, and North American sports. Combining his extensive knowledge and experience with British humor and wit, Dean has developed into a trusted voice within the sports betting industry.
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